County schools awaiting realignment word

The wait is almost over for football and volleyball coaches in the AHSAA as state’s athletic alliance is set to vote on its latest reclassification plan Wednesday.

Coaches have found themselves largely unable to put together their schedules for the coming seasons as the AHSAA’s Central Board of Control has spent its time determining whether to maintain its six-class system of the last 30 years or move to a seven-class system that would feature what many are referring to as a Super 32.

That 32-team class, if passed, would likely feature the 32 largest schools in the state, helping to accommodate for the substantial enrollment disparity that exists within the current Class 6A.

Changes to the current six-class system could also likely result in the addition of an 11th week to the regular season with the possibility of a bye week for certain classes as well as some potential modification to the current playoff structure.

While most of the Marengo County teams will likely be minimally impacted by the reclassification vote, questions still abound for local schools.

The team likely to be affected the most is Demopolis High School. DHS is currently in a region with Sumter Central, Selma, Greenville, Jackson, Citronelle, Satsuma and Saraland.

Demopolis High’s enrollment, however, is such that it could potentially swing toward either 5A or 6A should a seventh class be added.

Even if the Tigers do stay in 5A, there is no guarantee what region DHS will call home. Recent classification plans have also seen Demopolis share regions with Chilton County, Central-Tuscaloosa, Brookwood and Paul Bryant among others.

Much like the school at the north end of the county, south Marengo power Sweet Water has plenty of questions as to where it will fall in this realignment.

Many around the program anticipate the Bulldogs’ two-year run in Class 2A will come to an end, sending Sweet Water back to Class 1A. If that were to occur, the issue then becomes into what region Sweet Water will fall.

The Bulldogs could go back into a region with county cousins Linden, Marengo High, A.L. Johnson and John Essex. There is also the probability that the Bulldogs would draw McIntosh, Fruitdale and a reforming J.F. Shields program among others.

Teams such as Linden and A.L. Johnson have previously found themselves flexed northward to share region play with Sunshine, Akron, Maplesville and others. They have also gone south to compete with aforementioned teams such as McIntosh and Fruitdale.

And the question that is not likely to be answered Wednesday when realignment is announced is whether or not John Essex will field a team this fall.